Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1887-12-24
rsa BIG CORNER IN LEAD
Reing Rapidly Bought up by th"t
French Sy Indicate.

RelnS HBhuhy :"
French s. Syndicate.
Lead is being bought up rapidly
in this market. The purchasers are
known to be in France, as the
brokers are buying on French ac-
count. 1t is supposed by them that
this lead is being secured for the
same syndicate that has recently
caused such q sensation in tin and
copper, 1t is known that French
BUYERS have secured marketable lead
in Europe, and are nov turning their
attention to this country. Already
their purchases, which are not only
for spot lead, but for future delivery,
have caused an advance OF 81 70 per
100 pounds, and it is at the latter
price that the Frenchmen are now
buying. Although lead is produced
largely in the United States, the
mines cannot be worked fast enough
to meet the demand for home CON
sumption. Manufactures of lead
pipe, sheet lead, shot and lead paints
have required so much that it was
found necessary to import the metal,
even with o 50 duty upon it. Over a
thousand tons have been bought
up and exported for the French &C
count, and the shortage is expected
to affect the market seriously, should
the foreigners continue to buy.
1t is known that small lots have
been quietly bought up in England,
Spain and other European markets,
until these are depleted of all visible
supply. Brokers says it will not re.
quire an extraordinarily large capital
to secure all the lead in sight, and there
is no knowing how far this
French syndicate may go. 1t is now
suspected that copper and lead may
be wanted to prepare France for war,
and that the tin purchases are merely
to cover up that design under the
guise of a business speculation.
Should this be the case, the demand
for lead may be ven larger next
year. Holders of lead are. there
fore, looking forward to extravagant
prices within q short time.-Mail and
Express,
Putting tne Wires Under Ground.
1t needs but @ galance at the vast
network of electric wires spread over
the heads OF New Workers to ap-
preciate the magnitude of the work
involved in arranging them sym
metrically under ground. That all
the wires OF a great city have never
yet been put under ground is not
because the electric companies OPP
pose the plan from q business stand
point; if financial reasons alone gov
erned the case, the wires would dis
appear with most gratifying rapidity.
The fact that n great danger would
be obviated thereby would cause the
Fastening of the work. Seven years
ago a sleet storm swept over this
city, and to repair the damage to the
wires the electric companies spent
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This destruction may be duplicated
any Winter so long as the aerial
system is maintained. But the main
objections to burying the wires come
from the electrical side of the prob
lem, and it is the opinion of eminent
electricians that, with the present
knowledge, the several systems of
utilizing the electric current could
not be operated nearly as success
fully with the wires under ground as
above. Such being the case, it is
evident that extended experiments
will be necessary before the new
method attains the same degree of
perfection as the old. - Harper's
Weekly.